Powai Nui
Powai Nui 'was a medium-sized island in the Matoran Universe, located in the western chain of the Southern Islands. Geographically, it was divided evenly into four areas, each of which contained a different environment. It was home to a diverse Matoran population of around 2,800, who lived in mostly rural societies. Because of its placement in the deep Southern Islands and subsequent disregard as a "savage land" by northern islands, its culture was largely self-contained and disinterested with the outside world. For thousands of years since its creation and population, the island's inhabitants segregated themselves into distrustful tribes and there was little political or technological progression. As soon as the first proper organizations appeared on the island, however, it underwent major changes as its tribes united to form a singular government over the whole island. From then on, breakthroughs in technology, economy, infrastructure, science, and other such areas were made at a much faster rate. The Powai Nui Governing Coalition was eventually formed, which helped to make the island more civilized and politically divided it into four regional polities roughly matching its separated environments. History Early History ''Main article: Primeval Wars Powai Nui was created along with the other islands in the Matoran Universe. In its early stage, the island was unnamed and was devoid of vegetation and wildlife. It consisted only of geological structures, mainly mountains and bodies of waters. Later, the Great Beings placed plant and Rahi species on the island and later inhabited the island with around 4,500 Matoran. The Matoran formed element-based tribes and lived in segregation, mostly maintaining peace by developing little. After a number of Ta-Matoran tribes became bent on taking over the whole island, war broke out, depleting a significant portion of the population. What history was recorded would later become scarce as the destruction of libraries and texts became a favorite strategy of a number of warring tribes. In response to several issues arising between the Le-Matoran and the Ta-Matoran, the island's first non-tribal organization, the Ranger's Guild, would be formed. It would be followed by several other groups, such as the Trailworks Organization, the Kakkan Containment Organization, and the Thunderhead Union. As a part of the Southern Islands, outsiders almost always disregarded the island as a savage and dangerous place, and few ever came to the island. The first recorded outsiders to land on the island were a group of Vortixx, who stayed for several weeks to trade with a group of Vo-Matoran. They left after a series of heavy disagreements, one of which turned violent. Later, a group of Matoran visited the island, but saw them only as a “land where Matoran and Rahi went undistinguished.” They too left and told other islands about Powai Nui, claiming it to be the savage land they thought it to be. The Great Beings created a Toa of Stone named Qedua and placed him on the island, tasking him with bringing the Matoran together. He was placed in a region which would later become Po-Powai, and mistakenly assumed that the rest of the island was a similar desert environment. Because of this, he named the island Powai Nui, "Powai" being derived from Po-Wahi, the Matoran word for a region of Stone. He succeeded in bringing the Matoran together, and the Matoran formed the four now-recognized regional polities: Vo-Powai, Ko-Powai, Le-Powai, and Po-Powai. Formation of the Coalition However, there was still no central government on the island and it remained lawless. Because he hadn't transformed into a Turaga yet, Qedua sensed that he needed to establish a government on the island in order to fulfill his destiny. He gathered several trusted and hard-working Matoran and formed the Powai Nui Governing Body. This Body absorbed many of the island's organizations into it and renamed them "departments." The Trailworks Organization and the Ranger's Guild became the Department of Wilderness Preservation and Trailworks, the Thunderhead Union was split into the Departments of Communication and Finance, and the KCO became the Department of Containment. This action was met with resentment by several members of these organizations, who convinced Qedua to give them more independence from the governing body. Qedua reformed the PNGB into the Powai Nui Governing Coalition, which was an alliance of organizations governing the island rather than a body controlling several organizations. Aside from the Department of Wilderness Preservation and Trailworks, which became the Association of Powai Nuian Wilderness and Trailworks, all other organizations were reverted to their prior states. With his destiny achieved, Qedua transformed into a Turaga of Stone. However, he still felt it was his duty as a Turaga to lead the Matoran, and he was appointed the High Chief of the island. In the absence of a Toa, a Toa of Lightning named Maroona appeared on the island. Industrial Boom To be written... Wraith Syndicate's Invasion Main article: Wraith Syndicate's Invasion For some time, an organization known as the Wraith Syndicate, led by former Brotherhood of Makuta members Pretadix and Tetradon, had been pursuing the exiled Great Being Jayniss across the Matoran Universe, hoping to obtain powerful artifacts which he carried with him such as the Staff of Vortices and the Mask Maker's Tool. To be written... The Great Regression Main article: Great Regression During an air raid conducted by the Brotherhood of Makuta, the Toa were hidden inside a pocket dimension to avoid detection, where they remained for many years in a stasis-like state. Due to the fear and suffering from the raid, the Matoran inhabitants of the island scattered and formed small hideouts. Leskya Nuian Invasion Main article: Leskya-Powai War To be written... Great Egression To be written... Description Environment Powai Nui was split into four regions officially known as "regional polities", divided by the government based on environmental and demographic differences. They are as follows: * Vo-Powai: This area, roughly in the center of the island, was a vast, hilly grassland covered mostly by greatgrass. Its climate was generally temperate but tended to alternate between warm and cold seasons, with occasional bouts of snow. Although the other three regions lacked seasons, the intensity of Vo-Powai's seasonal changes combined with its relatively large area allowed it to influence the climates of the surrounding regions. It was populated primarily by Vo-Matoran, and was known as the capital of many of the island's large-scale economic dealings and big businesses. Later, most of the Leskya Nuian immigrants would inhabit this region during their days as colonies and under Keelo's Empire. * Ko-Powai: To the north and north-west the mountain range continues, increasing in elevation and prominence. Almost all of the region was covered in snow, with only the hardiest of vegetation sparsely populating it. It was home to primarily Ko-Matoran and Onu-Matoran, most of whom resided underground, surviving off of artificially grown food as well as resources from other regions. It had the largest concentration of science-oriented schools and was, more often than not, the place where the island's major scientific breakthroughs occurred. * Le-Powai: A series of more mountains and canyons with forests dominated by thick ferns, fast-growing moss, and gigantic coniferous trees. It was the most humid region and was known for its high rate of rainfall. Its shoreline was composed of numerous fjords and inlets, making fishing a major source of income for its residents. Said residents consisted primarily of Le-Matoran and Ga-Matoran. It was known for its culture's love for art, especially pottery, painting, and music. * Po-Powai: An arid desert characterized by the redness of its sand caused by the oxidization of the iron contained in it. It was evenly populated with shrubs and grasses and home to plateaus, mesas, arches, buttes, and all manner of other unique rock formations. Precipitation occasionally came in the form of massive bouts of rainfall which induced flash floods. Po-Matoran and Ta-Matoran composed a large majority of the region's population. A large majority of the island's major engineers and manufacturers resided in it, and because of the large Ta-Matoran population, it was the epicenter of most of the island's political discourse outside of the capitol in Vo-Powai. Government Main article: Powai Nui Governing Coalition To be written... Infrastructure and Economy Although it was culturally isolated from the outside world, the island's economy would have stagnated had it not imported and exported goods. Trades with other islands were predominantly often secretive and limited, with only a select few traders being considered worthy associates. Despite this, a select few organizations chose to advertise themselves more and were open to more foreign customers, believing that more amicable trade behaviors would relieve the island of its status as a savage land. However, the effectiveness of this philosophy was controversial and remained under constant debate. To be written... Culture Due in large part to the stigma surrounding the Southern Islands, Powai Nui's culture was almost completely separated from the culture of other Matoran-populated islands, leading to an overall deviation from the average Matoran society. A majority of the islanders were not concerned with the affairs of other islands aside from trade, and many staples of Matoran culture, such as Chutespeak/Treespeak, the rudeness of eating with one's mouth, and the concept of working only one job in one's life were absent from the island. It wasn't considered abnormal for Matoran to live outside of their Elementally-associated region, although most still did as such for the sake of comfort. Despite this, Powai Nui was not entirely exempt from occasional discord stemming from Matoran breed differences. Because of the belligerent Ta-Matoran tribes who initiated a large number of conflicts during the Primeval Wars, some areas on the island bore discrimination against Ta-Matoran. Vo-Matoran were stereotyped as having been materialists addicted to money since Vo-Powai was the financial and commercial center of the island. In Le-Powai, disparate Le-Matoran and Ga-Matoran cultures were forced to coexist, leading to a peculiar and complicated love-hate relationship between the two. Belief in Mata Nui was a controversial subject on the island, as many associated the island's stigma with a perceived arrogance possessed by those from northern islands who believed in him. As such, the topic was rarely discussed in casual conversations. The Three Virtues were mostly seen as a set of guiding values rather than principles to live by; even then, the concept of Destiny was often met with skepticism. There were also various interpretations of the Three Virtues, as some took them less literally than others. After the Toa Powai were formed, public discourse on the Three Virtues sprouted. Arts To be written... Entertainment To be written... The most notable sport on Powai Nui was Otakini, a team sport played with two teams of eleven players and a single Kanoka disk fitted with a rubber ring to prevent its power from activating upon collision. The sport was incredibly popular, so much so that more Kanoka on the island were used for playing Otakini than were used to create Kanohi. It was also the only sport on the island that was played professionally. One retired professional player from Le-Powai, Salvina, cited her time playing the sport as the source of her heightened agility as a member of the Toa Powai. Cuisine Food that could be absorbed through touch (known in short as "absorbable food") was unusually absent on Powai Nui. As such, eating was the primary mode of consumption of the island and was considered culturally acceptable. Because of this, it was one of the only islands in the Matoran Universe to have a "cuisine" of its own. Rice, its staple food, was the most common component of dishes, as were varying types of bread. Fruits and vegetables were common as well, and dishes of rice and fruits or vegetables known as "Woura" were popular. The most common forms of meat were those of poultry or seafood in most regions due to the uneven terrain being unsuitable for producing livestock meats on a large scale. Thanks to its climate and vast stretches of grass, Vo-Powai was the only region where keeping livestock was commonplace. Spices and seasonings were also very common on the island for varying reasons. The regional polities were known for specific kinds of spices and seasonings native to them, developed to protect food from perishing in their own unique climates and environments. Population Powai Nui was home to around 2,800 Matoran. There were no other sentient beings other than Matoran who inhabited the island for very long, although at one point a group of Vortixx did stay on the island for a brief amount of time to trade. All native Matoran were either one of the six primary elements or Lightning. After the surviving Leskya Nuian Matoran came to inhabit the island, a handful of Fa-Matoran, Ba-Matoran, Ce-Matoran, and Fe-Matoran were introduced to the island as well. Differences From Other Matoran Populations Three phenomena that were rarely seen in other Matoran populations had a high incidence among Powai Nui's population. Likely due to the island's place in the Southern Islands and it having been subsequently disregarded as a "savage land" by other Matoran populations, it seems that many Matoran affected by these glitches occurring during their creation were hidden on the island by the Great Beings, similar to Leskya Nui. * '''Romantic enablement: Although Matoran were not designed with romance in mind, a considerable portion of Powai Nui's Matoran—nearly a quarter, according to most studies—described themselves as capable of feeling romantic attraction. Such individuals were referred to by many names, the most politically correct being "romantically enabled". Although romantic attractions were not strictly between male and female, a majority of the romantically enabled were attracted to the opposite gender. The percentage of these individuals who were attracted to their same gender or to both genders seemed to change gradually, and as such, it was hard to calculate definitely. * Element-gender disconnect: Approximately 15% of Powai Nui's inhabitants were of the gender opposite of that which their element was naturally supposed to be. As a result, the island's male-to-female ratio was more equalized than those of other Matoran-populated islands. Unlike with the romantically enabled, the Powai Nuians did not know that this condition was unnatural, and as such those affected by it were simply regarded as a naturally-occurring minority. Curiously, Matoran whose gender and element were "disconnected" were more likely to be romantically enabled than other Powai Nuian Matoran. * Consumption: As stated above, a lack of absorbable food caused all of Powai Nui's inhabitants to adapt to eating and digesting food for sustenance. While this was not unusual for Matoran, eating was considered to be the standard on Powai Nui, whereas other Matoran populations considered eating rude and distasteful. This not only led to Powai Nui adopting one the only "cuisines" in the Matoran Universe but also to them developing methods of sanitization that most Matoran didn't need. As Matoran cannot digest every part of the food they ingest and have no excretory system, the question of how excess food substances were eliminated from the stomach baffled Powai Nuians for centuries. Later studies, however, revealed colonies of microbes living in the stomach of each Powai Nuians Matoran, digesting whatever food they could not digest in a mostly commensal relationship. Notable Inhabitants Matoran * Arvos * Bivwak * Dymmox * Haumaru * Ivel * Jeko - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker * Kakkan * Koura * Leoger * Morayne * Nepto * Omakah - formerly; deceased * Parahi * Sardar * Serpex * Shensii * Tura * Tyria - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker * Ulex - formerly; deceased * Yedrin Toa * Corduk * Detras - formerly; trapped in the Shrine of Salvation * Hatar * Keelo - formerly; trapped in the Shrine of Salvation * Lewok * Merdana - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker * Navahko * Salvina * Tesudin - formerly; deceased * Vandir - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker * Wreshi Turaga * Maroona * Qedua Other * "Alchemist" - formerly; deceased * Hysterix * Phi - incarcerated * Ruthos - formerly * Tetradon - formerly; deceased Appearances * The Feral Plains - First appearance; Volumes ''I'', ''II'', ''III'', ''IV'', ''V'', ''VI'', & ''VII'' * Against the Storm - Volumes ''I'', ''II'', ''III'', ''IV'', ''V'', & ''VI'' Trivia * Powai Nui's geography and the placement of its environmental regions mirrors that of North America (mostly excluding Central America): ** Po-Powai reflects the hot deserts in the west United States and northwest Mexico. Its two peninsulas also echo the Baja Peninsula and the shape of the rest of Mexico. From a US-centric view, they also echo the states of Texas and Florida. ** Ko-Powai reflects the Rocky Mountains, especially where they stretch into west Canada, along with the territories Yukon and the Northwest Territories and the US state of Alaska. ** Vo-Powai's plains reflect the Great Plains of the midwestern United States and Canada. ** Le-Powai's fragmented coastline reflects the Canadian provinces of Nunavut and Newfoundland and Labrador. * In Powai Nuian culture, there was a game known as "mask task", which was functionally identical to nose goes. It was first depicted in Against the Storm. Category:Matoran Universe Category:Islands Category:Powai Nui